Sir Keir Starmer's 'politically opportunistic' Covid vote abstention is 'contemptible'

Former Conservative MP Nick de Bois has strongly criticised Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after he ordered his party to abstain in the upcoming Commons vote on new coronavirus restrictions.

Speaking with talkRADIO's Mike Graham, he said: “You do not get elected by tens of thousands of voters to sit on your backside and abstain.

"What Labour is doing here is taking a politically opportunist moment because they want to highlight the disunity in the Conservative Party...When we are talking about the very livelihood and the health and wellbeing of this country, I think it is just rather contemptable.”

The Prime Minister is braced for a damaging Tory rebellion as MPs vote on the new toughened system of tiered coronavirus controls for England, though the government is expected to win the vote.

Sir Keir – who has previously backed measures – said while his party had “serious misgivings” it would not be in the national interest to vote them down when the virus still posed a “serious risk”.

Видео Sir Keir Starmer's 'politically opportunistic' Covid vote abstention is 'contemptible' канала talkRADIO